Month: September 2025

Delhi Police on Friday remembered the martyrdom of Ashok Chakra Awardee Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the Batla House encounter.

Sharing a poster, Delhi Police wrote, “Martyrdom does not end something, it is only a beginning.”

“Upholding the finest traditions of Delhi Police and enriching it manifold in his own way, Shaheed Mohan Chand Sharma became a Martyr on September 19, 2008, leading his men from the front in a fierce operation,” the poster read.

Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma was killed during the encounter when the alleged terrorist opened fire at police personnel.

Ariz Khan and Shahzad Ahmad were found guilty of the murder. Khan was initially granted a death sentence in the case, while in October 2023, the Delhi High Court commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment.

This comes amid a call for a march by All India Students’ Association (AISA) in Jamia Milia Islamia marking 17 years of the Batla House encounter.

In a social media post on Thursday, AISA, a left-wing student organisation, announced the ‘Insaaf Mashaal Juloos’ starting at 5:30 PM from Central Canteen JMI to Khalilullah Masjid.

AISA wrote in an Instagram post, “We Remember Atif and Sajid! We Remember Batla House Encounter! On 19th September 2008, a 17-year-old Mohammad Sajid and Atif Ameen were killed by Delhi police in a rented flat in Batla House. While the police and government claimed the killing as a major success of its counter-terrorism operation, alleging that Atif and Sajid were the key operatives of an organisation called Indian Mujahideen, civil rights activists, along with postmortem reports, pointed out the loopholes in the police story.

“What strengthened the suspicion of local residents and rights activists was the refusal of the government to concede to the demand for a judicial probe into the incident. Despite the NHRC requirement of a magisterial probe into encounter killings, the Delhi government and the Lt. Governor stalled even that,” the post added.

The student organisation said that they are taking out the march to reiterate the demand for a fair judicial inquiry into the encounter.

“Since the day of the encounter, we have been demanding a fair judicial enquiry. We take out a torchlight march every year, reasserting this demand. This year will mark 17 years of awaiting justice for the extrajudicial murders of Atif and Sajid. Join Insaaf Mashaal Juloos demanding a fair judicial enquiry into the Batla House encounter,” the post read.

The Batla House Encounter by the Delhi Police took place when terrorists of the Indian terror outfit Indian Mujahideen were reported to be hiding in a flat in the area of Jamia Nagar, Okhla, on September 19, 2008.

The operation resulted in the deaths of two terrorists and one police officer, Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, with the remaining terrorists arrested. (ANI)

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday delisted 474 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for failing to contest any election over the past six years. With this, the total number of RUPPs removed from the official registry has risen to 808 in the last two months.

According to a press note issued by the ECI, the latest round of delistings follows a similar action taken on August 9, when 334 RUPPs were removed from the list of registered political parties for failing to contest elections for six consecutive years.

The Commission has also identified 359 more RUPPs from 23 States and Union Territories for not submitting their annual audited accounts for three consecutive financial years, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24. While these parties have contested elections, they failed to file mandatory election expenditure reports within the stipulated time, prompting the ECI to initiate action against them.

“In continuation, in the second phase, ECI delisted 474 RUPPs on September 18, 2025 based on non-contestation in elections conducted by ECI continuously for 6 years. Thus, 808 RUPPs have been delisted in the last 2 months,” the press note reads.

“Political Parties (National/State/RUPPs) in the country are registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI) under the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act 1951. Under provisions of the Act, any association once registered as a political party gets certain privileges and advantages, such as a symbol, tax exemptions, among others. Guidelines for registration of Political Parties mention that if the party does not contest elections continuously for 6 years, the party shall be taken off the list of registered parties,” the press note reads.

To ensure due process, the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the concerned States and UTs have been directed to issue show-cause notices to these parties. The ECI has said that these parties will be given a chance to explain their position in hearings conducted by the respective CEOs before a final decision is made on their delisting.

“The ECI takes the final decision on the delisting of any RUPP based on the reports of the CEOs,” the press note reads. (ANI)

Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, best known for the song ‘Ya Ali’, has passed away after a scuba diving accident in Singapore.

The Northeast India Festival also issued a statement, saying that Zubeen Garg suffered breathing difficulties during scuba diving. “He was immediately given CPR before being rushed to Singapore General Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he was declared deceased in the ICU around 2:30 PM IST,” the statement added.

The news has sent a shockwave across the nation, with condolences and tributes pouring on social media.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mourned the passing of Garg with a heartfelt tribute.

“Today Assam lost one of its favourite sons. I am in a loss of words to describe what Zubeen meant for Assam. He has gone too early, this was not an age to go. Zubeen’s voice had an unmatched ability to energise people and his music spoke directly to our minds and souls. He has left a void that will never be filled. Our future generations will remember him as a stalwart of Assam’s culture, and his works will inspire many more talented artists in the days and years to come,” a part of his tweet read.

Ashok Singhal, Cabinet Minister of Assam, also took to his X handle and grieved Garg’s sudden passing.

“Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of our beloved Zubeen Garg. Assam has lost not just a voice, but a heartbeat. Zubeen da was more than a singer, he was the pride of Assam and the nation, whose songs carried our culture, our emotions, and our spirit to every corner of the world. In his music, generations found joy, solace, and identity. His passing leaves behind a void that can never be filled. Assam has lost its dearest son, and India has lost one of its finest cultural icons. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and countless fans. May his soul find eternal peace, and may his legacy continue to inspire forever. Om Shanti,” he wrote.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora also reacted to the news and added, “Deeply shocked and saddened by the untimely demise of our cultural icon Zubeen Garg. His voice, music, and indomitable spirit inspired generations across Assam and beyond. My heartfelt condolences to his family, fans, and loved ones. Rest in peace, Legend. #ZubeenGarg.”

Known for contribution to Indian music industry, especially his presence in the Assamese culture, Zubeen Garg also sang in the Hindi and Bengali film industries. One of his biggest Bollywood breakthrough came with the song ‘Ya Ali’ from Emraan Hashmi and Kangana Ranaut starrer ‘Gangster’. The song also got him multiple nominations. (ANI)

The United States on Thursday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, even as Israel intensified its military offensive on Gaza City.

The draft, introduced by the 10 elected members of the Council, was backed by 14 of the 15 members. It called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties,” the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, and the removal of restrictions on humanitarian aid.

As reported by Al Jazeera, US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus defended Washington’s veto, stating, “US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise. It fails to condemn Hamas or recognise Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimises the false narratives benefitting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”

The veto drew sharp criticism from Palestinian and Arab representatives. Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the decision showed the Council’s “silence comes at a great cost for its credibility and authority,” adding that the use of veto power “should not be allowed when atrocity crimes are at stake,” Al Jazeera reported.

Algeria’s UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama said, “Palestinian brothers, Palestinian sisters, forgive us. Forgive us, because the world speaks of rights but denies them to Palestinians. Forgive us because our sincere efforts shattered against this wall of rejection.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon maintained that Israel needed “no justification” for its war in Gaza, thanking the US for exercising its veto.

The vote came on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, a moment described as “sombre” by Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays. He said the US stance reflected “an America-first view of the world” at a time when many countries were championing multilateral diplomacy, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)

US President Donald Trump has confirmed he will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to discuss the future of TikTok, saying that the two sides are “pretty close to a deal” involving the popular social media platform.

“We’re speaking to President Xi on Friday to see if we can finalise something on TikTok, because there is tremendous value, and I hate to give away value, but I like TikTok,” Trump said at a press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, “He acknowledged TikTok’s role in his past campaign, adding, “It helped get me elected. And we did unbelievably well with youth, like at a level that no Republican has ever even dreamt of.”

Trump emphasised the strategic advantage the US holds over the app’s operations. “TikTok has tremendous value. The United States has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it. I specifically get the right to approve it,” he said.

“The people that are investing in it are among the greatest investors in the world, the biggest, the richest, and they’ll do a great job. And we’re doing it in conjunction with China,” he added.

Trump also noted that the deal would bring significant financial returns to the US “The United States is getting a tremendous fee-plus, I call it a fee-plus, for just making the deal. And I don’t want to throw that out the window,” he said.

Highlighting the app’s popularity among young voters, Trump warned of the political cost of banning it. “You’ll have a lot of very unhappy youth,” he said. “I use TikTok very legitimately, very straight — just statements. Every day, little statements, short statements. ‘Sir, make it short, please.’ And TikTok Jack, we call him. He was pretty good. Did a good job for me.”

“It’ll be owned by all American investors, and the best investors and very rich people and companies are going to be owning it. Very, very straight, very legitimate countries and companies and really companies that love America,” Trump said.

Describing the scale of the deal, Trump said, “It’s a big thing. And on a much bigger scale, and probably that’s why we were able to get that. But on a much bigger scale, we’re pretty close to a deal.”

He also left open the possibility of extending current terms with China if necessary. “We may do an extension with China, but it’s an extension based on the same terms that we have right now, which are pretty good terms.” (ANI)

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Thursday demanded a “national apology” from those who spread the “false narratives” of Hindenburg Research.

This comes after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) gave a clean chit to the Adani Group regarding their “baseless” allegations of violating disclosure norms or constituting fraudulent practices.

In a post on X, Gautam Adani emphasised the group’s commitment to transparency and integrity, expressing empathy for investors who lost money due to the report.

“After an exhaustive investigation, SEBI has reaffirmed what we have always maintained, that the Hindenburg claims were baseless. Transparency and integrity have always defined the Adani Group. We deeply feel the pain of the investors who lost money because of this fraudulent and motivated report. Those who spread false narratives owe the nation an apology,” he posted on X.

The US-based short-seller had alleged fund routing to conceal related-party transactions, sparking significant market volatility and impacting Adani Group’s market value. The clean chit brings significant relief to the Adani Group, ending months of scrutiny.

“Our commitment to India’s institutions, to India’s people and to nation building remains unwavering. Satyamev Jayate! JAI HIND!” Adani Group Chairman added on X.

The market regulator on Thursday refuted the allegations made by US Short seller Hindenburg against the Adani Group. SEBI concluded that there is no violation of the listing agreement or SEBI Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR), and the impugned transactions do not qualify as “related party transactions”.

According to SEBI, “Reading of Listing Agreement and SEBI (LODR) Regulations reveals that transactions between a listed company with unrelated party is not covered within the definition of “related party transactions” as it existed during the time when impugned transactions took place, though included specifically after the 2021 amendment.

SEBI said that the Supreme Court had rejected the plea of the petitioner and held that procedure followed in arriving at the current shape of regulations is not tainted with any illegality. The Supreme Court also held that no valid grounds have been raised to direct SEBI to revoke its amendments to the SEBI(LODR) Regulations.

SEBI said that there is no violation of Section 12A of the SEBI Act and SEBI-Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) (PFUTP) Regulations as alleged. It concluded that no fraud, misrepresentation, or siphoning of funds was proven and all funds were returned with interest. Thus, all allegations in Show cause Notice not established.

SEBI concluded that no liability or penalties were imposed on Adani Group entities or individuals and the proceedings were disposed of without directions.

In January 2023, Hindenburg published a report accusing the Adani Group of financial irregularities, leading to a significant drop in the company’s stock price. The group at the time had rubbished these claims.

The Adani group has repeatedly denied all the accusations in the Hindenburg Research report. While addressing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Adani Enterprises at the time, Group Chairman Gautam Adani had said they were “faced with baseless accusations made by a foreign short seller, that questioned our decades of hard work.” (ANI)

The Indian armed forces are set to buy more Israeli Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) drones after their successful use in Operation Sindoor earlier this year and plan to arm them with air-launched Spike anti-tank guided missiles.

The Indian armed forces already operate a large fleet of Heron drones across all three services, the Army, Navy and Air Force, from their respective bases.

Intelligence agencies also use Herons for specialised operations.

Defence officials have told ANI that the forces are placing new orders to acquire additional Heron drones, which were effectively deployed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May this year

The officials further said efforts are underway to weaponise these drones. One wing of the armed forces is working on equipping Herons with Spike-NLOS (non-line-of-sight) anti-tank guided missiles, which will give them the ability to strike enemy targets during future conflicts.

The Heron drones are primarily used for long-range surveillance on both the Chinese and Pakistani borders and have proved highly effective.

In parallel, the Indian Air Force and the Ministry of Defence have been pursuing Project Cheetah for several years to upgrade the surveillance and combat capabilities of the Heron fleet.

India has also been acquiring the advanced Heron Mark 2 drones in recent years. These upgraded UAVs are equipped with satellite communication systems, enabling them to fly longer missions with extended ranges.

At the same time, India also has its own indigenous programme to develop Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones. Under this plan, the government is looking to procure 87 UAVs through a competitive bidding process.

Major defence companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Solar Industries Defence and Aerospace, and Adani Defence are expected to be key contenders.

Some of the drones under this programme will likely be developed in collaboration with established Israeli defence manufacturers.

The armed forces have projected a long-term requirement of nearly 400 MALE drones over the next 10-15 years to meet the country’s security needs. (ANI)

US President Donald Trump said that the US is trying to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, which is currently under the control of the Taliban government after the US troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.

“We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to leave it with strength and dignity, and we were going to keep Bagram, the big air base – one of the biggest air bases in the world,” Trump said during a joint news conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“We gave it to them for nothing. We’re trying to get it back, by the way,” he added.

Trump has repeatedly indicated that he would have kept control of the air base, given its strategic importance near the border between Afghanistan and China.

Trump has already called the decision to withdraw the troops from the air base “the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”

Earlier, Trump had said, “They left all that equipment behind and every year they have a parade down from street with the equipment. With all that equipment that they left, they should have taken every ounce of it. Every screw, every bolt, every nail you take out of there. And Millie said, I remember one time, so we’re better off leaving the equipment. Why? It’s cheaper to leave USD 150 million airplane rather than flying it into Pakistan or India or some place. Yes, sir. That’s when I knew he was not an idiot. Didn’t take long to figure that one out. They left their dignity behind. It was the most embarrassing moment in my opinion in the history of my country.”

“We had Afghanistan, which I think was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, and we would have gotten out. I was the one that got him down. I would have kept Bagram, the big air base, which right now is controlled by China. Among the most powerful runways in the world. Thick, thick with concrete and seal. Anything could land. And right now they were one hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he added. (ANI)

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday strongly backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft, asserting that the concerns raised were 200 per cent valid and had been conveyed to the Election Commission earlier as well.

Speaking to reporters here, DK Shivakumar said, “This issue was raised before the Election Commission earlier also. We have made a number of requests to give us the data. Whatever Rahul Gandhi said is 200 per cent right. This is going on in the entire country. We want the Election Commission to work independently. They are looking at a political angle. Even in Karnataka, they are asking us for the information.”

Earlier today, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat backed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft, stating that Gandhi has revealed a “harsh truth.”

Speaking to ANI, the senior Congress leader accused the Election Commission of acting like a “political party” and accused them of avoiding answers to the questions posed to them.

This comes amid Rahul Gandhi’s fresh allegations of an attempt at vote theft in Karnataka’s Aland constituency. Addressing a press conference today, he claimed that there was an attempt to delete more than 6,000 voters’ names from the Aland constituency in Karnataka.

“In Aland, Karnataka, 6018 votes, somebody tried to delete these votes. We don’t know the total number of votes deleted in the 2023 elections, but somebody got caught. It was caught, by most crimes, by coincidence. What happened was that the Booth Level officer noticed that her uncle’s vote had been deleted,” he said.

The Lok Sabha LoP further alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, is “protecting vote chors” and is fully aware of how fraud is happening in deleting and adding fake voters in the voter list. He stated that he has “10 per cent proof” that the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is “protecting vote chors (vote thieves).”

He said that a group of people is using a centralised method through software, impersonating real voters, and deleting their names from the voter lists.

Gandhi further claimed that he is “getting help” from people who are working for the Election Commission of India (ECI) in uncovering alleged vote fraud in the country.

“We have started getting help from inside the Election Commission. I am making it clear that we are now getting information from inside the Election Commission; this was not happening before, but now we are getting information from inside the Election Commission, and this is not going to stop. India’s people will not accept this. Once the youth come to know that vote chori is happening, then their power will come,” Rahul Gandhi alleged.

Responding to the claims, the ECI has called Rahul Gandhi’s allegations “baseless and incorrect”, highlighting that no deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka also responded to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s fresh claims of “vote chori” in Aland constituency, stating that the poll body had already rejected all incorrect applications and an FIR was filed in the matter in 2023.

The Karnataka CEO said in a statement that the ERO in Aland received 6,018 online applications through Form 7 in December 2022. “Suspecting the genuineness of such a large number of applications submitted online for deletion of electors’ names in 46-Aland LAC in Karnataka, verification of each application was conducted by ERO/AERO/BLOS,” an official statement said.

Only 24 applications were found to be genuine, and another 5,994 were found to be incorrect. Accordingly, 24 applications were accepted, and 5,994 incorrect applications were rejected and not deleted, the statement added.

The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has claimed that the investigation into the alleged fraud has been stalled for over 2 years as the poll body is not replying to the letters sent by the CID, calling it “proof” that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is “protecting vote chors (vote thieves). (ANI)

India and the UAE have decided to increase their non-oil, non-precious metals trade to USD 100 billion over the next three years, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday at a press conference in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking about the renewed goal, Goyal highlighted the progress made since the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed. “You’ll be pleased to know that the goal we set at the time of the CEPA, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, was to achieve USD100 billion in bilateral trade. Last year, we achieved USD 100 billion in bilateral trade in just three years,” he said.

Building on this milestone, Goyal emphasised the new focus on diversifying trade beyond traditional sectors. “We’ve set a new goal today: both teams will work on achieving USD 100 billion in non-oil, non-precious metals trade,” he added, signalling a shift toward expanding the breadth of economic engagement between the two countries.

The announcement was made alongside a large Indian business delegation, with representatives from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Goyal noted the significance of the group’s size, stating, “A large business delegation from CII, FICCI, and ASSOCHAM has accompanied me. More than 70 people, and I don’t think such a large delegation has ever come from India to the UAE. This demonstrates the interest in increasing trade and investment with the UAE.”

Further, Goyal underlined the cooperative relationship between India and the UAE, emphasising that there is “no competition between the two countries” but rather mutual support in expanding trade.

He outlined specific sectors targeted for growth, including textiles, home decor, fisheries, leather and leather goods, food processing, and pharmaceuticals.

“There’s no competition between our two countries. We support each other. We’ve selected some areas this time to focus on expanding trade. One is the textile sector. Textiles, home decor, and the entire chain. One is the fisheries sector, leather and leather goods, food processing, and pharmaceuticals,” he said.

He also expressed satisfaction over the growing investment relationship between the UAE and India, noting that the UAE has become the fifth-largest investor in foreign direct investment (FDI) in India.

He also mentioned ongoing discussions about encouraging foreign institutional investment (FII) in the Indian stock market.

“I am very pleased that the UAE has become the fifth-largest investor in FDI. They have also shown interest in FII investment, in investing in the stock market on a large scale, for which we are in discussions,” he said.

Goyal praised the reforms introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve the ease of doing business in India.

“The Minister here praised the steps taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve the ease of doing business. He praised the reduction of compliance burdens, promotion of decriminalisation, elimination of outdated laws, and the simplification of sub-processes, stating that India’s economy will grow rapidly in the future. He has no doubt about this, and he wants the UAE to be a partner in India’s development journey, and for both of us to move forward together,” Goyal stated.

“We should also increase trade between the two countries, enhance people-to-people contact, cultural contacts, and collaborate in technology,” he added.

Highlighting the significant growth of Indians working in the UAE, Goyal stated, “I am very happy to tell you that 10 years ago, only 2.2 million Indians were employed or worked in the UAE. Today, that number has increased to approximately 42 lakh crore. You can see the vast opportunities available here for our young men and women, our talented and skilled people. This includes professionals like chartered accountants, engineers, and technologists.”

Goyal also stressed the strong and growing partnership between the two countries, quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Prime Minister Modi was right when he said that the relationship between India and the UAE will become a role model for the entire world, and we are confident that in this journey of development, as India emerges as a developed India, the UAE will continue to be our partner, our trusted partner.”

Piyush Goyal is in the UAE for a two-day visit to co-chair the 13th India-UAE High-Level Task Force on Investments (HLTFI) with HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (ANI)